News

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is now seeking technical assessors to participate in a June training session for a pilot project on accrediting ecolabeling certification programs. Details are below. Prospective candidates are encouraged to contact ANSI directly as soon as possible.
Technical Assessors, ANSI accreditation program

ANSI is recruiting contract Quality Professionals that have experience with the process and technical aspects of evaluating the competence of eco-labeling schemes and certification bodies.Successful assessor candidates will be familiar with ISO/IEC Guide 65 requirements for product certification. Assessors should also be knowledgeable in management systems (e.g., ISO 9000) and/or environmental label and declaration standards (e.g. ISO 14020, 14024, and 14025).

Knowledge and Experience

An understanding of the governance of environmental eco-labeling and declaration certification bodies and development of environmental eco-labeling and declaration certification schemes.

Knowledge of and experience in the field of environment-related standards development, certification processes, environmental product information, and implications for public policy and purchasing strategy.

Ability to attend a June Training Program at ANSI Headquarters in Washington, DC

Not currently employed by an environmental label and/or declaration certification body.

A Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline, and at least 6 years of professional experience are required.

Significant travel is involved.

Remuneration is fee based.

About ANSI

ANSI is a private, non-profit organization (501(c)3) that administers and coordinates the U.S. voluntary standardization and conformity assessment system. The Institute’s mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity.

Organic Monitor’s third Sustainable Food Summit kicks off today in San Francisco, with ecolabel proliferation set to be a key topic of discussion.

Organic Monitor will present the results of a research project it announced on January 8 with a press release explaining that the mushrooming number of eco-labels could have adverse implications for the over $75 billion eco-labeled food and drink marke.

According to Organic Monitor the lack of harmonisation is leading to multiple certifications and logos. The old chestnut of the ‘one ecolabel to rule them all’ also makes a showing.

Industry buzz we are hearing is that ecolabels are working together more and more, with an emphasis on preserving identity and specialization while collaborating on common infrastructure. This network of networks approach certainly works well in the online world – it will be interesting to see if eco-labels, many of which pre-date the web, adopt this ‘network-based’ approach to scaling up.

It’s interesting to see how they handled the several and competing options for sustainable timber 3rd party certifications. They are recognizing five programs in all. They continue to give preference to FSC – the 2015 goal call for at least 40% of the pulp used in P&G’s tissue-towel products to be FSC-certified. They will also recognize PEFC, SFI, CERFLOR and CSA-SFM.

Looking further ahead, the 2020 goal for the company is that: By 2020, 100 percent of our paper packaging will contain either recycled or third-party certified virgin content (p 16 of their 2012 Sustainability Report [PDF])

Controversial Proposition 37 was voted down this week by Californians. This proposition would have required food and beverage manufacturers inform to consumers of the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) on the product’s label.

It was a close vote – some 52.9% were against, 47.1% for it, indicating widespread support for labeling and also a growing awareness and interest in the origins and impacts of our food system.